


With Hesitance

by Jarino



Series: Rima Lavellan, Herald of Andraste [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Elf/Human Relationship(s), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Homesickness, Mages and Templars, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 08:13:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6947059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarino/pseuds/Jarino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rima is still a little wary around the Commander, and running into him outside Haven does nothing to help her understand her feelings towards him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With Hesitance

As soon as Rima had a moment alone, she’d immediately made for the gates of Haven. Despite the fact she’d been growing more comfortable with her traveling companions, the town’s other denizens still intimidated her and she felt like a complete outsider. The small cabin they’d assigned her was an incredibly drastic change to what she’d been acclimated to and as such, she avoided it like the plague. Whenever she was given a moment of freedom, she wasted no time making her way to the forest on the outskirts of Haven.

It was familiar; it was comforting. While she’d been exposed to human civilization during her journey to the Conclave, she had never been fully immersed in it until she’d been proclaimed the Herald. They’d thrust her into this and barely given her any time to adjust before they’d assigned her a role to fulfill. She needed a break from it all – something that reminded her of what her life was like before this mess.

She began by the frozen lake, idly gathering herbs and stuffing them into her pouch for later. Gradually, she was drawn toward the small grouping of trees a little further out. It wasn’t exactly a forest, but it was better than nothing. She picked what she thought was a sturdy tree, one that would have a good view of the valley, and began to climb.  Scaling the bark and finding footholds with ease, she’d reached the top in next to no time at all.

Once at the top, she found a perch on her branch, easing herself against the trunk of the tree as she surveyed the valley. A slow smile spread across her face as she glanced about. As reluctant as she was to be here, there was no doubting the beauty of the location. Though her clan had strictly kept to forests, never venturing into the mountains, there was a sort of nostalgia that the sight of the valley pulled from within her. The clear blue skies, the occasional glimpse of wildlife roaming the land, and the crisp smell of pine trees…It was almost like her clan’s camp was just over that hill and _not_ an entire ocean away.

She sat for a while, enjoying the view and chewing on a bit of jerky she’d procured earlier. When she felt she had her fill, she began descending the tree, slowly making her way to the ground until she noticed a figure drawing near. Halting her descent, she carefully pushed a few leaves out of the way so she could get a better look at who was approaching.

The first things she saw were blonde hair and a large, furry mantle and she had to force herself not to groan. Of course it had to be _him_.

Her feelings towards the Commander were…complicated, to say the least. Upon learning that he was once a Templar, she’d been wary of him, if not outright intimidated, yet ever since their first meeting, the man had been nothing but kind to her. Though she tried to avoid him, it was inevitable that they ended up in close quarters, and whenever he spoke to her, it was obvious he was making every effort not to frighten her. He spoke in low, hushed tones and stood at a fair distance so that he didn’t tower over her. His warm, gentle eyes were not helping her confusion in the slightest, either. He was a human…and a former Templar at that. He was _not_ supposed to show such kindness to her. That just…wasn’t how it worked.

Then she heard her name and nearly jumped out of her skin. “Lady Lavellan! Are you out here?”

Bristling, she pressed herself further into the bark of the tree. How did he know her clan name? She’d been so careful not to tell them anything else about her…If they were going to keep her prisoner here, she was going to make damn sure they couldn’t do the same to her clan.

He passed by her tree, oblivious to her position as he continued to call for her. Gritting her teeth, she jumped down to the ground, which had him taking a startled step back. “H-Herald…” he gasped, taking a glance up at the tree she’d previously occupied. “You were…climbing trees?”

Ignoring his question, she folded her arms as she addressed him. “Why were you calling me that?”

“I, um…what?” he asked, confusion written on his face.

“Lavellan. Why were you saying that word?”

“Oh, um…forgive me if that was too untoward, but we recently received a letter from your Keeper, and, uh…I assumed you’d prefer that to ‘Herald’…” His face began to heat up and he gazed at the ground as he fumbled over his words.

Ah.  She let out a small sigh, rubbing her temples. Keeper Deshanna was so easily worried…Of course she sent a letter inquiring about Rima’s safety…“Call me whatever you like, Commander. I suppose it doesn’t matter now.” She made as if to walk away, but he abruptly called out to her.

“H-Herald, wait!” Stiffly, she stopped in her tracks and turned back to face him, though her stance indicated she was likely to flee at any second. “I, um…Do you like trees?” he blurted out.

“What?” Her face scrunched up in confusion and she made no effort to hide the perplexity in her voice.

“Ah…” A deep crimson blush began to spread across his cheeks and he instinctively rubbed the back of his neck. “What I mean is…You came down from a tree just now, and uh…is that…something you like to do?”

Turning to face him fully, Rima regarded him with a wary eye before answering hesitantly, “Yes…”

“Oh! O-Of course!” He looked up abruptly, almost as if he hadn’t expected her to answer him. “Well, that’s…very nice, then…”

His choice of words was so awkward and endearing that she couldn’t help the snort of amusement that escaped her. As soon as she realized she’d laughed at him, her face began to flush and she looked up in mortification.

He was staring at her slack-jawed, as though he were in the presence of a literal goddess, which only contributed to the blush that was rapidly heating up her cheeks. “I, um…” she mumbled, taking a few stumbling steps back. “I should go…”

If he reached out to her as she fled, she didn’t notice. She was too busy running and never looked back. Dread Wolf take him…Why was he so attractive? Nothing was playing out the way it was supposed to…He was not supposed to be so kind and attentive…And she certainly wasn’t supposed to feel like her heart was going to beat out of her chest just because he’d looked at her like that.

Mythal preserve her…This man was going to be the death of her.

**Author's Note:**

> I realized I never actually told Rima's side of the story as to why she fell for Cullen, so I did my best to remedy that with this little drabble.


End file.
